iPhone Buying Guide

The iPhone has now become an iconic product, everyone in the world is aware of, which is some achievement and should be respected, even if Android sometimes offers more for your money!

In this article, I want to look at the current iPhone line up and think about, which one is suited to which person(s).  Apple is currently trying to cover all price ranges, with its current range.  Starting with the iPhone SE at £429, all the way up to the 16 Pro Max £1199.  This can make it quite a daunting task, especially for non-technically minded people to choose their next phones.  I want to try and simplify this process and explain, without to much technical jargon, who each model is aimed at.

iPhone SE:

The iPhone SE, starting at £429, is the budget end of the range. It has always had a following and sold reasonably well for Apple over the years. Currently, it is in its third generation form, with a 4.7” screen and A15 chip (which is no slouch).  The camera is a very simple affair, offering 12 megapixels point and shoot with no stand out features to mention.  We do still get water resistance, 5G and Touch ID, so it does on paper contain some great features (but not the latest and greatest from Apple).

Now, I am not going to say that this is a bad phone, it offers some good features and still gets the latest iOS updates, because of the A15 chip.  However, if you look at the next step up, the iPhone 14, it starts to look very poor value for money in my opinion.  Also, there is no OLED screen, which most Android phones at this price have and the SE is likely to be replaced soon.

iPhone 14 and Plus:

So, for £599, you can pick up the iPhone 14 which has an OLED screen and dual camera system, with photographic styles etc.  We also get Face ID, better water resistance and more emergency features like crash detection.

The question is, for £170 more, is it worth spending that extra money.  From a tech point of view, I think it is and I would easily pay that for the better cameras etc.  However, I can see why there is a market for the SE, as does offer an affordable entry point to own an iPhone.  If you can afford it, please do go for the iPhone 14 and above as it will offer more for your money and you may regret the tiny screen and small camera on the SE.  The 14 also looks so much more modern than the SE as the SE is a very old design all the way back from the iPhone 6 I think or before that.

iPhone 15 and Plus:

The iPhone 15 range, escapes the lightning connector and we are now in USB C land, which makes life a lot easier.  We also get the 48 Megapixel main camera and A16 chip, which is a much more of a modern powerhouse.  However, we still don't get Apple Intelligence, even spending £699, and this seems criminal, when you look at the Pixel line up.  It seems crazy to me, that you can spend £1000 on the 512gb model of the 15, miss out on the latest chip (they put the A16 in the 15 series), therefore losing out on Apple AI and if you spend £100 more (on the 16 series), you get the AI and the latest A18 chip.

The camera on the 16 is also substantially better, with new macro modes and spatial photos etc.  The 15 series, doest seem to have a place in their line up anymore, due to these missing features.  It always used to be, that Apple would put their latest chip in all of the phones (like Google does), then cut out other things on the lower end models (like camera upgrades etc).  Then, on the 14 series, all this changed and Apple started putting last years chips in the non-pro line up.  Then, because of Apple Intelligence, when the 16 series launched, they started putting the latest chips in the non-pro phones again.

This now leaves the 15 series in a confused place, as the non-pro 15 phones, which are still on sale, don’t offer Apple AI and cost up to £1,099 for the 512gb plus model.  To me, the 15 series doesn't make sense as they have a lower powered chip and no AI support, so will loose support for iOS updates quicker to and you don't save much on cost, over the 16 series.  I suspect Apple realised this, but have to keep offering the series, as they have always done.

Iphone 16, Plus and Pro/Max:

This takes us nicely onto the latest iPhones, which are in my opinion some of the best in a while.  I was using a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL as my daily driver, but once I reviewed the Pro 16, I went back to Apple for the video upgrades (like 4k 120).

I also used an iPhone 16 Plus for 2 weeks, in the ultramarine blue, which is an amazing colour!  I loved this phone, it nearly has all the same features as the pro max, but in a nicer size.  I didn't even miss the 120hz screen, because I really liked using the 16 plus so much. In the end, I decided to switch to the iPhone 16 Pro, because I couldn’t loose the telephoto lens and 4k 120 for content creation.  If you just want a phone with a decent sized screen and excellent camera, then please just buy the 16 Plus, as you will not be disappointed with it at all.  The storage starts at 128GB, which I will talk about below, so just be careful as you can fill that up fast and we should be getting a minimum of 256gb in this day and age.

The iPhone 16 Pro series, are closer than ever to the non-pro phones, so not as many people will need to buy the Pro version.  If money is no object, then by all means get the Pro, as you get a new ultra-wide and fantastic video performance.  Just bear in mind that the non-pro 16, also get the new video styles and sound effects (where you can change the audio on a video).  I would try both out in the shop and please don't buy the pro-max without holding it this year as it is huge!  The smaller pro is just as excellent, but in a much easier to handle form factor, however the max does have a larger battery.

What storage option should I choose?

This has always been a difficult decision, because the amount you choose can't be changed later. Apple also know how to charge, so the higher storage models aren't cheap! I think as a starting point check the current usage on the phone you are upgrading from, as this can give you a good idea. If you haven't used over half your current amount then you don't need anymore, unless you plan on changing how you use your phone significantly.

Video and high resolution photos are what take up the most room, so if you do take a-lot of high res video then at look 512 Gb and above. I would try and avoid the base model 128gb and go for the 256gb model as this should be plenty for most people. You can actually plug an external hard drive into the usb c port and expand storage that way, also iCloud isn’t to expensive, so if you do run out of space all is not lost!